This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist

Chapter 71 The Loyal and Righteous Rick

Rick didn't dare open his eyes. He feared that if he did, tears would start flowing.

Sure, he had given the magic eye to Aaron, but his plan was to quietly retrieve it in a few days. He had everything worked out: if there was a fourth beta test on February 22nd, he would use the money he had saved to buy two skills, one for **Disguise** and one for offense. Once the game ended, he'd go and take back the magic eye.

But then someone had intercepted it midway—efficiently and ruthlessly.

After giving Aaron the eye, Rick had stayed with his group of brothers the entire time. They had been inseparable for days, and last night was the first time they parted ways. He had thought that with the beta test starting at 2 a.m. on the 22nd, it wouldn't be wise to be wandering around on the 21st. What if the Lopez family made a big move, and he missed out?

Yet, disaster struck in the early hours of the 21st.

The magic eye was gone.

Men are said to hold back their tears, but the thought of losing the magic eye filled Rick with overwhelming sorrow, and he genuinely wanted to cry.

He had spent half a year scheming to get that magic eye, and he couldn't ask for help or tell anyone about it. He had to rely on his own careful planning, and in the end, he had killed two people to secure it. His plan was to bring the magic eye into the beta test and see if it could be installed painlessly.

If not, he was prepared to undergo surgery to remove his own eye, so he could install the magic one.

But plans never keep up with change.

One mistake led to another.

The loss of the magic eye reminded him of his ruined **Divine Gift**. If his gift hadn't been mostly wasted, he wouldn't have gone to such lengths for the magic eye. Thinking about his useless **Divine Gift** made him recall the main reason he had started playing the game—to fix his 9cm problem. And remembering the pain of having half of it cut off...

The hardships of the past year hit him all at once. Rick couldn't hold it in anymore, covering his face as silent tears streamed through his fingers.

Mateo: ".........." This really wasn't necessary!

Zoey: ".........." Uh... uh, he's really crying?

The siblings didn't feel guilty, exactly, but they did recognize that, in a way, they had been the ones to sideline him first.

The siblings were completely in sync. A single glance was enough to communicate:

'Let's get someone to verify this.'

'Alright.'

Rick clung to Zoey, his eyes cold as he stared at the curtains.

He knew Zoey would have it investigated as soon as he mentioned it. Over the past six months, aside from working on the magic eye, he had been searching for a way to **Disguise** his **Divine Gift**.

The answer lay in a very special item:

**Chameleon Teapot Pet** (A-grade): Its shed skin can conceal or falsify any information, including personal panel details, item descriptions, and skill information. The effect lasts for seven days and cannot be seen through by any A-grade or lower tool or skill. It must be watered daily with high-quality tea.

When satisfied, it sheds once per day, and each shed skin can alter one piece of information. (Note: The quality of the tea may affect the shedding time.)

Even the best tea in the real world was nothing special for a magic item, so it had taken Rick three months of daily care to produce twelve pieces of shed skin. Once he confirmed the shedding frequency was stable enough for his needs, he waited for the perfect moment to "confess" to Zoey.

By the time the Lopez siblings left, their anger was completely gone, and they even left Rick with a set of equipment.

Rick opened his personal stats panel.

The faint blue screen appeared before him, visible only to him. He gently placed a thin piece of the **Chameleon Teapot Pet's** shed skin over his one and only active **Divine Gift**.

**Skill 5**: "Good Cooks Have Good Luck" (Passive): The **God of the Culinary Arts**' mission is to make every diner feel happiness. After a diner eats your food and feels happy, you will become lucky for a period of time. The happier the diner, the luckier you become.

Still holding onto hope that his skills might one day recover, Rick also altered **Skill 4**:

**Skill 4**: "There's Nothing a Good Meal Can't Fix": Mark a diner. Their negative emotions are transformed into luck for you, with the amount of luck equivalent to the number of dishes from the **God of the Culinary Arts** they've eaten that day.

Whether it was conscious or not, Rick had tied all his skill disguises to luck—perhaps an influence from Rita's emphasis on the value of luck.